President Donald Trump’s White House has mocked “Gavin NewScum” over the California Democrat governor’s video address supposedly responding to the Los Angeles riots.
As violent leftists continue to rattle Los Angeles, Gov. Newsom took to the airwaves Tuesday night with a dramatic address accusing Trump of launching a “brazen abuse of power.”
But the White House isn’t having it, and fired back swiftly.
Newsom, a Democrat and longtime Trump critic, claimed in a prerecorded video that “democracy is under assault.”
He warned the American people that Trump’s move to send 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to quell unrest in L.A. represents a dangerous precedent.
But Trump officials were quick to point out what many Americans already see: Newsom is more focused on performing for the cameras than addressing the real issues in his own state.
In a post on X, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said:
“Gavin NewScum spent all this time–instead of doing his actual job–preparing for a webinar just for the audio to not work.
“The production quality is just like his leadership quality—sh***y.”
Cheung didn’t stop there, however.
He took aim at the political playbook Newsom appears to be recycling from the failed Biden-Harris campaign, which repeatedly used “threats to democracy” rhetoric to distract from unpopular policies and rising chaos under their leadership.
“NewScum must’ve hired Kamala and Biden’s loser campaign team because he’s saying this is a ‘threat to democracy,’” Cheung added.
While Newsom accused Trump of exploiting federal power for show, White House officials reminded the public that enforcing the law isn’t tyranny—it’s governance.
“American voters elected President Donald Trump to carry out his agenda, which includes enforcing the immigration laws passed by their elected representatives,” said Alex Pfeiffer, deputy assistant to the president.
“California is trying to subvert democracy.”
Despite Newsom’s emotional tone and repeated mentions of “democracy,” the facts remain: over 200 individuals have been arrested in connection to riots and ICE-related protests that turned violent in Los Angeles.
Law enforcement has been forced to deal with escalating attacks, including one incident involving rocks being thrown at federal agents inside vehicles.
But in Newsom’s telling, the presence of troops, not the lawlessness on the streets, is the real problem.
“This isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles,” Newsom warned.
“This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here.
“Other states are next. Democracy is next.”
WATCH:
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wasn’t impressed.
After Newsom posted on X that America’s Founders didn’t “live and die to see this moment,” Miller shared a now-viral image of a shirtless man waving a California flag while standing atop a car amid smoke and chaos.
His caption cut straight to the point:
“According to Governor Newsom, this is what the Founders were fighting for.”
The showdown between Trump and Newsom escalated last Friday when ICE operations in Los Angeles sparked unrest.
Trump responded by deploying federal troops under authority granted by the Insurrection Act—a move well within the president’s constitutional power when states fail to secure peace.
Newsom has claimed that most of the troops are “sitting, unused” in federal buildings and framed the move as an ego play:
“This isn’t about public safety,” he said Monday on X.
“It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego.”
But with Los Angeles neighborhoods rocked by chaos and federal agents under attack, many Americans might see it differently.
In the face of political grandstanding from Sacramento, the Trump administration is choosing action over rhetoric and protecting American cities from descending into anarchy.
READ MORE – California Sheriff: Gavin Newsom ‘Encouraged’ LA Riots
